St. Louis Lawsuit

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) - An attorney for Merck told jurors today that a suburban St. Louis woman's obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure may have led to her fatal heart attack in 2003 and not the company's drug, Vioxx. Dan Ball wrapped up his opening statements today in the Madison County, Illinois, trial pitting Patricia Schwaller's widower against Merck. It's the first Midwest trial involving the pain reliever pulled off the market in 2004 after research showed it increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Schwaller died about 20 months after she apparently began taking Vioxx. Schwaller's family says Merck didn't adequately warn of Vioxx's potential risks. But Ball says it isn't right to blame Merck. He says Merck never tried to conceal anything and Schwaller's health issues made her vulnerable to a heart attack.